(from 'A Voyage round Great Britain undertaken in the summer of 1813' by Richard Ayton, illustrated by William Daniell and published by Longman in 8 volumes between 1814 and 1825)

​Enjoyed a wonderful reading week in the British Library at St Pancras, where my visit coincided with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Among other things a drama group performed some informal extracts all around the library’s main vestibule and balconies, which were hung with dark red drapes just like a theatre. Entertainment apart, I read some very interesting items from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Among them was a set of enormous volumes recounting a coastal tour made by two gentlemen in 1813. One wrote an account of the places, the other made some superb sketches, such as the one inserted above. Why this research? Watch out for my debut regency romance, A MASTER OF SPECULATION, due to be available on Amazon Kindle and KU/KOLL by the end of the month. Meanwhile, don’t forget to put your name down for a Goodreads Giveaway to win one of two print copies of In for a Penny, a Victorian romantic comedy (Giveaway closes 23rd May - see link on Home page). Good luck and my continued thanks to you readers for your support!